Hey guys, I know it's been months and upon months since I've done anything on FA. But let's just say I've had a mountain of things to do when it comes to both life and other things, I'll try not to bore you with a bunch of details, but considering right now I'm recovering from bronchitis, I figured I'd at least try to explain what's been going on without going too in depth.

For starters, if you remember my previous journal about the "Silent Killer" which is blood pressure? Well, the good news is that while I have kept it under control with diet and exercise, it's still an ongoing struggle that I'm sure millions of people globally still have to deal with, no matter how old you are. I'm still going to the gym every day at work (before I got sick), and I'm still trying to do what it takes to maintain a reasonable weight and blood pressure level. I encourage all of you who read this to do the same. You don't need a gym membership but do any kind of physical activity, just an hour a day. Take a walk, ride a bike, play a sport, or even do workouts at home. You'll be surprised at the results! Trust me.


Orlando trip


For those who know me, I had this trip planned since the beginning of this year with my two co-workers, who became one of my closest friends. So, the past few years, in my neck of the woods, there's a train station that was under construction that allows a high-speed train to travel from close to where I live to Orlando, and since traveling on the highway is risky as well as potentially dangerous, my friends decided we should try riding on the train up to Orlando. With the transportation arranged, my friends and I collaborated on the hotel, and then, around November, our vacation began, and it was absolutely wonderful!
We decided to hit the following parks:

(1) Seaworld
(2) The new "Epic" universe in Universal Studios
(3) Disney's Epcot for the Food and Wine Festival.

Long story short, I didn't think I was gonna like Epic Universe, and I could write for hours upon hours about every detail about the parks but I didn't want to be too boring. I had a wonderful time, and I really enjoyed my time at Epic Universe. Would I do this again? Indeed, I do!


A controversial research into AI

Now this is a journal entry I sort of wanted to go into for a long time, but unfortunately, life got in the way, and I never had the chance to really go into details about my dive into AI...

Now, before everyone starts coming after me with pitchforks and torches and everything but the kitchen sink. Let me make this clear to you: I, as an artist who dedicated my life to improving one's artistic talents, will NEVER EVER replace art talent with an AI knockoff or any kind of generative AI imagery in this gallery or anywhere else! I do not support generative AI, I do not support AI artists, and I also had moments where I even wanted to leave DA because people bombard this site with all sorts of AI images, some look exceptionally convincing like the real deal, which adds to the scare factor.


It began a couple of months ago, my cousin, who is staying with us, was chatting up a storm on his phone one afternoon, when I came downstairs to figure out what is going on, he told me about ChatGPT. I admit the thought of open AI kind of disgusted me, but the more I started to interact with "it", the more engaging it became, and eventually I started toying with it too, against my better judgment at first. However, after consulting with a good friend of mine when it comes to using open-AI, not only I discover the pros and cons about the program, but I also realized more and more people were using it to the point they almost depended on it. Even at my job, we use AI for various tasks. However, I want to conclude this lengthy journal with the following:

(1) I will and still WILL NOT use AI to replace my talent

(2) AI in itself is a tool, just like a computer or anything else.

(3) Like the tools you currently use, you can use them, but it's what and HOW you use it that makes the difference.

Confused by that statement? Let me illiterate for you.
When I was using ChatGPT to gather ideas, for instance, yes, I did ask it to render some scenes, buildings (which I'm terrible at), and even design some concept sketches of some enemies I'd like to throw into my projects. What I did with those concepts is do my own take on the said character. Right now, I don't feel comfortable showing it off because it's just a concept sketch and not the final product, and I wish to eventually show off my talents with the full render of the characters when I get the time to do some art.

Now I've said what I wanted to say, and I want to repeat that I *REFUSE* to upload any AI art into my galleries.

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